Water

[snoopdog]

Well, the pond is dry, started hauling water 2 days ago. Giving it a month, probably too long, then I'm done I guess. Trying to get an operator out to clean it out in the meantime, and getting all kinds of bs, if I even get a reply. Dug a new pond a few weeks ago, but no rain. Did get the second cutting of hay up with only 1 breakdown tho

 

[kenny thomas]

That's not good. When it does rain pack the bottom of the pond with the tractor will help it hold.

 

[MurraysMutts]

What the heck!
Have u not gotten any of the rain we have in n central ok? We were fighting it for a while there. But glad to have it.
Dang that stinks.
Hope the rain comes soon for ya!
Is a well not an option?

 

[TCRanch]

Hate to hear that, Snoop. Hauling water is no fun - did it 3 years in a row. We've had the same rain as MurraysMutts; must have just missed you. And he does make a good point about the possibility of a well unless you don't have electricity available or a windmill.

 

[snoopdog]

Hate to hear that, Snoop. Hauling water is no fun - did it 3 years in a row. We've had the same rain as MurraysMutts; must have just missed you. And he does make a good point about the possibility of a well unless you don't have electricity available or a windmill.

Wow! 3 years, just no way I can do that, I just don't have the grit. There is rural water, and I've offered to run the line, but no dice, it's leased and the old folks think they will condemn their well. There is just nothing else available now. I have a neighbor that has a good sized dozer who hopefully will clean the old one out. Mine is too small, (dozer) and we're praying for rain. If I have to start feeding hay, I just can't make it. I can move the cows to my other hay gtound, but it won't last, and I'll lose the hay. Just dang it.

 

[kenny thomas]

In 2007 it was a drought here. I bought feed and big square bales of corn stalks and spent way more than the calves brought
Never again.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Hate to hear that, Snoop. Hauling water is no fun - did it 3 years in a row. We've had the same rain as MurraysMutts; must have just missed you. And he does make a good point about the possibility of a well unless you don't have electricity available or a windmill.

Wow! 3 years, just no way I can do that, I just don't have the grit. There is rural water, and I've offered to run the line, but no dice, it's leased and the old folks think they will condemn their well. There is just nothing else available now. I have a neighbor that has a good sized dozer who hopefully will clean the old one out. Mine is too small, (dozer) and we're praying for rain. If I have to start feeding hay, I just can't make it. I can move the cows to my other hay gtound, but it won't last, and I'll lose the hay. Just dang it.

Cut half of it for hay, move half of em over there, and hope for the best?
I agree. Double dang it!!

 

[Rafter S]

In 2007 it was a drought here. I bought feed and big square bales of corn stalks and spent way more than the calves brought
Never again.

2011 was the worst I've ever seen here (and it was the worst folks older than me had ever seen too). I made 8 rolls of hay that year, but luckily had some left from the year before. I made it through the winter by feeding half the usual amount of hay, along with 10# of sack feed per cow every other day.

 

[cowgirl8]

2011 was the worst I've ever seen here (and it was the worst folks older than me had ever seen too). I made 8 rolls of hay that year, but luckily had some left from the year before. I made it through the winter by feeding half the usual amount of hay, along with 10# of sack feed per cow every other day.

2011 was the worst for us too. Hauling water, grinding hay, and cough cough, chicken litter... We did all we could to stay in business. Every summer i dread a redo... The last 3 though, have been cool and wet. Its only a matter of time though. Averages arent in our favor... We could have grazed 2xs the cows on our place this year. No one sends out a memo though on what the summer will bring... Hey, remember people were selling hay for 125 a bale... that was the year to have hay to sell... although, we did sell some and did not ask that, we got i think 65 and only to people we knew needed it... We could have cleaned out on hay. Got some indian nation land with switchgrass. Made 2000 bales. Had to have guards in the field at night to keep people from taking it. Grass was too tough for the cows to eat, so we ground it up which would be too much work ever again..

 

[Rafter S]

2011 was the worst I've ever seen here (and it was the worst folks older than me had ever seen too). I made 8 rolls of hay that year, but luckily had some left from the year before. I made it through the winter by feeding half the usual amount of hay, along with 10# of sack feed per cow every other day.

2011 was the worst for us too. Hauling water, grinding hay, and cough cough, chicken litter... We did all we could to stay in business. Every summer i dread a redo... The last 3 though, have been cool and wet. Its only a matter of time though. Averages arent in our favor... We could have grazed 2xs the cows on our place this year. No one sends out a memo though on what the summer will bring... Hey, remember people were selling hay for 125 a bale... that was the year to have hay to sell... although, we did sell some and did not ask that, we got i think 65 and only to people we knew needed it... We could have cleaned out on hay. Got some indian nation land with switchgrass. Made 2000 bales. Had to have guards in the field at night to keep people from taking it. Grass was too tough for the cows to eat, so we ground it up which would be too much work ever again..

I had a guy tell me he was paying $100.00 per roll for rice straw hay back then, and it was so sorry he was feeding all they'd eat and they were still losing weight.

 

[cowgirl8]

I had a guy tell me he was paying $100.00 per roll for rice straw hay back then, and it was so sorry he was feeding all they'd eat and they were still losing weight.

The switchgrass was the same way. We found a tub grinder that chopped it small enough to get into the grain mill... so we had all the things lined up where it ended up in a mixer wagon... There was no enough nutrition in the switchgrass even though now they could actually eat it so we added, yes, added cured chicken litter. I havent forgotten how much heat i got on that, but, its how we a make a living and we did what we needed to stay afloat. Chicken litter ended up saving us and cows love it.. Havent needed to do it again, but, we would if it happens again. Since that drought, we keep 2 years of hay stored.. this year, we have around 3 years stored. We could have made a killing selling that hay to desperate people in 2011.. but we just couldnt do it.. Felt really bad turning people away.. I think they did sell a few bales to people who drove up with a trailer..

 

[okiek]

Sure hate to hear that from a fellow Okie. I never dreamed it was that dry NE. It's getting pretty dry south central, but not pond drying up dry! Good luck!!!

 

[snoopdog]

I think it was 2009, when we sold the last cowherd. We went to hay production and did well through the 2011 drought, but we did NOT gouge anybody. Going to start cleaning it out in the morning with my dozer, at least the shallow end, we'll see how it goes.

 

[1982vett]

In 2007 it was a drought here. I bought feed and big square bales of corn stalks and spent way more than the calves brought
Never again.

2011 was the worst I've ever seen here (and it was the worst folks older than me had ever seen too). I made 8 rolls of hay that year, but luckily had some left from the year before. I made it through the winter by feeding half the usual amount of hay, along with 10# of sack feed per cow every other day.

Counted the hay in November 2011 and kept only what could be fed through the middle of January. Probably could have kept the last 20 I sold because it started raining a little Christmas Eve and by the middle of January I had stopped feeding and had hay left. Started buying stuff that needed something to eat in February.

Taught me it was futile to attempt to fertilize my way to profits....

 

[Rafter S]

In 2007 it was a drought here. I bought feed and big square bales of corn stalks and spent way more than the calves brought
Never again.

2011 was the worst I've ever seen here (and it was the worst folks older than me had ever seen too). I made 8 rolls of hay that year, but luckily had some left from the year before. I made it through the winter by feeding half the usual amount of hay, along with 10# of sack feed per cow every other day.

Counted the hay in November 2011 and kept only what could be fed through the middle of January. Probably could have kept the last 20 I sold because it started raining a little Christmas Eve and by the middle of January I had stopped feeding and had hay left. Started buying stuff that needed something to eat in February.

Taught me it was futile to attempt to fertilize my way to profits....

Yeah, I fertilized too one of the times they were predicting rain that we didn't get. If I remember right when I figured the cost of baling and fertilizer those 8 rolls cost me about $300.00 each.

 

[bird dog]

I remember in 2011 getting to the sale barn in Buffalo and having to drive a half mile past it just to get to the end of the line.
I fed some corn rolls for a while and that kept them alive. They all got embarrassingly thin. I made a deal with a trucker that was coming back empty from Missouri to bring me some hay. It was expensive but at least it was good hay.

Shortly after that I built a hay barn where I now always keep some hay in reserve.

 

[1982vett]

I remember in 2011 getting to the sale barn in Buffalo and having to drive a half mile past it just to get to the end of the line.
I fed some corn rolls for a while and that kept them alive. They all got embarrassingly thin. I made a deal with a trucker that was coming back empty from Missouri to bring me some hay. It was expensive but at least it was good hay.

Shortly after that I built a hay barn where I now always keep some hay in reserve.

I have hay tucked in a barn from 2012.

 

[TexasBred]

I remember in 2011 getting to the sale barn in Buffalo and having to drive a half mile past it just to get to the end of the line.
I fed some corn rolls for a while and that kept them alive. They all got embarrassingly thin. I made a deal with a trucker that was coming back empty from Missouri to bring me some hay. It was expensive but at least it was good hay.

Shortly after that I built a hay barn where I now always keep some hay in reserve.

We sold out that year. Had hay but tank went dry and had no water. Come to think of it that tank is dropping pretty fast now as well. :shock:

 

[cowgirl8]

I remember 2011 that if we had to shut down it would be because of water. We were down to one pond and we were pumping water out of it into a trough.. I never want to do that again...

 

[TCRanch]

I think it was 2009, when we sold the last cowherd. We went to hay production and did well through the 2011 drought, but we did NOT gouge anybody. Going to start cleaning it out in the morning with my dozer, at least the shallow end, we'll see how it goes.

Good luck. Hit the ONE spot in the south pond that wasn't completely dry during our drought. Fail!